The invention relates generally to food processing equipment and more specifically to a food processor for mounting on the underside of a kitchen cabinet or the like. The food processor includes a drive unit which slidably receives a food container and has means for automatically connecting and disconnecting the drive unit output from a cutting assembly in the food container.
Food processors and similar food preparation devices have enjoyed great popularity in recent years. Such popularity is the result of a confluence of increasing availability of exotic and specialty food stuffs, a contemporary emphasis on gourmet cooking and the development of increasingly sophisticated food processing machines having a variety of unique and task-specific features. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,856,220, 4,143,824 and 4,200,244 all disclose various food processor cutting knives which are oriented to improve food cutting and blending action. The designs disclosed therein, however, are incorporated into conventional countertop food processors and thus do not provide the variety of features and advantages of the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,751 teaches a slicing and cutting apparatus which is also of countertop construction. Here, a drive shaft is mounted for limited axial motion. Such axial motion acts to disconnect the drive motor from the drive shaft unless the food processor and specifically the cutting mechanism is assembled.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,387,860 teaches a countertop food processor having a plurality of accessories and a drive unit which drives the food processing cup and accessories from the top. In order to connect the drive unit to the cutter assembly contained in the food cup, a manually operated knob must be rotated by the user to advance the drive shaft into a driving position after the food cup has been assembled to the processor or retract the drive shaft prior to removal of the food cup from the food processor. Not only is this mechanism complex but the difficulty of assembly of the food cup to the drive unit is time consuming and thus lessens a major advantage of such equipment; namely, time savings.
Aside from the popularity of such devices, there has been a trend in recent years to smaller homes and thus correspondingly smaller kitchens. This trend has placed a premium on counter space. In response to this change, countertop products have become somewhat smaller and the popularity of power units for mixers and food processors flush mounted in countertops has increased.
In spite of the foregoing advances, several consumer requirements have been left unaddressed and improvements in several aspects of such products are possible.